Louise Michel : Anachist and revolutionary feminist, jailed and exiled for leading the 1871 popular uprising in Paris

Louise Michel was the incendiary French leader of the 1871 Paris Commune. An anarchist and an irrepressible rebel, she spent much of her life on the run from police, in jail, or in danger of being locked away in mental asylums, as was the fate of so many feisty or defiant women. Known as "The Red Virgin," Louise was a great character from one of the greatest popular rebellions in history. Here is Michel’s own story, along with commentaries about her by Emma Goldman, Bertolt Brecht, Sheila Rowbotham, Howard Zinn, and her contemporaries Victor Hugo and Karl Marx. This is the third woman in the "Rebel Lives" series. Contents 6 introduction: Biography of Louise Michel 8 Early life 9 Struggle against the empire 10 Popular control in the Commune 14 Women in the Commune 16 The example of the Paris Commune 17 Repression of the Communards 18 Trial and deportation 20 Among the Kanaks 21 Solidarity with Algeria 23 Radical agitation 24 Police harassment 26 London and Paris 28 Traveling anarchist 29 tribute to Louise Michel from Victor Hugo 31 chapter one: Early Life 34 Louise Michel: Sources of rebellion 35 Louise Michel: Poem 38 Louise Michel: Letter to Victor Hugo 38 chapter two: Seizing the Guns 40 Louise Michel: Seizing the guns 41 Louise Michel: Open letter defending the seizing of the guns in Montmartre 43 Bertolt Brecht: The Days of the Commune 44 chapter three: Paris Enraged 51 Friedrich Engels: History of the Commune 52 Louise Michel: life during the Commune 58 Louise Michel: Letter to the Mayor of Montmartre, Georges Clemenceau 64 Louise Michel: Letter to the Editors of La Sociale newspaper 65 chapter four: When the Women Decide They Have Had Enough 66 Louise Michel: On women's rights 67 Parisian Women: A call to the women citizens of Paris (April 11, 1871) 69 Women Citizens of Paris: Request for Organizational Assistance from the Commune 71 Elisabeth Dmitrieff: Letter from the Association of Women to the Commune's Commission of Labor and Exchange 73 chapter five: The First Dress Rehearsal in World History 76 Karl Marx 77 Friedrich Engels 78 Mikhail Bakunin 80 William Morris 82 Peter Kropotkin 83 V.I. Lenin 85 Howard Zinn 87 Paul Foot 89 Sheila Rowbotham 91 chapter six: "The Internationale" 96 "The Internationale": Words by Eugene Pottier (Paris 1 871 ) Music by Pierre Degeyter (1 888) 97 V.I. Lenin: The workers' anthem 99 chapter seven: Exile in New Caledonia 100 Louise Michel: The Kanaks were seeking the same liberty we had sought in the Commune... 101 Louise Michel: Art for all! Science for all! Bread for all! 104 Louise Michel: Letter protesting removal from Numbo camp 105 chapter eight: Authority Vested in One Person is a Crime 106 Louise Michel: Statement to the military tribunal after the Paris Commune, 1871 107 Sixth Court Martial Board (Versailles): Report of Louise Michel's trial for insulting police, 1882 109 Louise Michel: Telegram to organizers of the Les Invalides protest 111 Louise Michel: Les Invalides Trial, 1883 112 Louise Michel: Letter to the Commissioner of Police 114 chapter nine: Emma and Louise 115 Emma Goldman: There was spirit and youth in her eyes 116 Emma Goldman: Louise Michel was a complete woman 119 resources 123 Books in English 123 Books in French 123 On the Paris Commune 124 Websites and Film 124

a Legendary Rebel Woman Who Might Be Called The Tank Girl Of The Nineteenth Century.

patricia Moore - Kliatt

louise Michel, A Relatively Unknown Figure Outside Of Her Native France, Was An Activist, An Anarchist, And A Fighter Against Racism Who Is Known Principally For Her Role In The Short-lived French Commune In The Spring Of 1871. A Local Rebellion, The Paris Commune Was A Reaction Against The Provisional Government Set Up By The French After The Defeat Of Napoleon Iii By The Prussian Armies In The Franco-prussian War. Michel, A Schoolteacher Who Had Read Widely In Political Theory, Was Fully Embroiled In This Brief Moment Of Revolutionary Ferment, Organizing Meetings, Writing Tracts, Speaking, And Even Firing Her Gun As A Fighter In The Ranks. Deported To New Caledonia At The Fall Of The Commune, She Continued To Write; And Alone Among Her Fellow Deportees, Championed The Native Kanaks, A Local Tribe That Attempted To Rebel Against French Colonial Rule. Back In France, She Continued To Live As She Believed, Traveling And Speaking For The Radical And Anarchist Causes She Promoted. What Makes The Rebel Lives Series Valuable Is Its Presentation Of Primary Source Material Once The Historical Background Has Been Carefully Laid Out In An Introduction. Not Only Are Excerpts From Michel's Autobiography And Letters Included, But Also Brief Pieces Taken From The Works Of Engels And Marx Writing On The Commune As Well As Short Citations From Many Others, Including Lenin, Emma Goldman (who Calls Michel A Complete Woman), And Howard Zinn. Selected Reading Lists Contain Books And Web Sites In Both French And English. A Unique Resource. (rebel Lives). Kliatt Codes: Sa—recommended For Senior High School Students, Advanced Students, And Adults. 2004, Ocean Books, 118p. Bibliog., Ages 15 To Adult.

Louise Michel was the incendiary leader of the 1871 Paris Commune, when the city's population rose up to establish a short-lived workers' government. An anarchist and an irrepressible rebel, "The Red Virgin" spent much of her life on the run, in exile, in jail, or in danger of being locked away in mental asylums. This is Michel's defiant story, with commentaries by Emma Goldman, Bertolt Brecht, Sheila Rowbotham, Howard Zinn, Victor Hugo and Karl Marx.